SACRAMENTO, Calif. — Isabella Maranon never thought her family would be personally impacted by the coronavirus — until they were.
Everything changed for Maranon last Saturday, when her 59-year-old brother Javier Lopez died due to complications two weeks after testing positive for COVID-19
Maranon, 46, says her brother's symptoms started out similar to a cold, but gradually got worse. She had not seen her brother for nearly two months, because her family was physically distancing to protect themselves from the virus.
"My brother started having, like, cold symptoms," Maranon said. "And like from a Latino family, you don’t go to your doctor, you don’t call, you think it’s just a cold, you can’t stop working because you can’t afford."
Maranon has since learned that she and at least 10 family members, including her 79-year-old mother, have also tested positive for virus.
Her mother has been admitted to the intensive care unit at Mercy San Juan Hospital due to complications from the deadly virus.
"This is a virus that does not discriminate anyone or age," Maranon said.
She is urging everyone to follow CDC guidelines like washing hands, wearing masks, and physically distancing from others.
She doesn't know how she or her family members got sick, but says it only takes one person to spread the virus.
"You need to believe that it is true, it’s here and it’s affecting families," Maranon said.
Follow the conversation on Facebook with Giacomo Luca.
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